Which to use
“üben” is a verb and “üble” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,698
- “üben” frequency rank
- #16,070
- “üble” frequency rank
- 19768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | üben | üble |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Tätigkeit wiederholen, um zu lernen und eine Fähigkeit zu erwerben | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs übel |
Where the eye mixes üben and üble
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between üben and üble
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: üben is [ˈyːbn̩] while üble is [ˈyːblə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
üben is recorded at frequency rank #3,698, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈyːbn̩]. üble is at rank #16,070, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈyːblə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19768, this pair ranks #1,904,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of üben vs üble
Shared letters: beü. Private to "üben": n. Private to "üble": l.
"üben" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "üble" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "üben" for "üble" ever safe?
Which is more common, "üben" or "üble"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "üben" and "üble" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "üben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "üble" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,904,777 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "üben" and "üble" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "üble vs ugly". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,904,777 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.